Luminous sign



Dec. 17, 1929. DE FRANCIA Q 1,740,228

LUMINOUS SIGN Filed Feb. l8, 1928 I Invenzor: AWreuPd de. Franc'm Patented Dec. 17, 1929 PATENT OFFICE ALFREDO DE FRANCIA, OF PARIS, FRANCE LUMINOUS SIGN r Application filed February 18, 1928, Serial No. 255,352, and in France May 31, 1927.

The present invention relates to improvements in luminous signs in which the letters, numerals, signs and the like are formed by the juxtaposition of luminous elements. consisting each of a partly cutaway part of a sheet metal plate forming the background of the sign, the said part being afterwards conveniently curved and polished or made 2' ture, the arrangement and the colour of the said reflecting surfaces canbe absolutely as desired in one and the same element.

Several forms of construction of the obje'ctof the invention are shown diagrammatically by way of example'in the annexed drawing.

Figs. 1 and Qshow a sign, constructed according to the known process, in vertical section and in partial elevation.

Figs. 3 and 4 show the sign according to the invention in similar View as Figs. 1 and 2, respectively.

Figs. 5 to 11 show modifications.

The sign according to the present invention consists generally in a box or casing with a front wall 1. Cut partly into this wall are tongues 2 which are afterwards curved and recurved towards the interior of the casing and which can be rendered shiny or reflecting, for example, by silver-plating so as to clinations. In this way a better result is obtained from the optical point of view neces sary for publicity as each luminous source shows two pictures instead of only one.

The variation shows in Figs. 5 and 6 only diifers from the above form of construction in that the tongue 3 is reversed.

It can be seen that the number, shape and curvature of the various tongues cut in the main tongue2 can be varied and Figs. 7 and 8 show such a tongue with five luminous parts of different shape and section.

According to the modification shown in Fig. 9 the luminous parts arearranged in the letter L for example by horizontal bands 4 superimposed and rendered reflecting, each band having in the centre a tongue 5 of preferably adiiferent colour than that of the band. The letter 0 shown can be formed by the juxtaposition of tongues such as 6 pierced in the centre by a hole which allows the passage of the light reflected by reflecting internal walls of the casing or by one or several reflectors contained therein.

In the-case of Fig. 10, the portionof the letter L shown is formed by the juxtaposition of several bands 7 in the shape of set squares which are provided with a luminous part formed by a main rectangular tongue 7 and two semi-circular tongues 8 and 9 or then the bands canbe cut in the sheet metal 1 and be suitably curved and coloured so'as to constitute in itself luminous elements.

Fig. 11 shows the arrangement in the casing of the sign of a double reflector 10 which can be either of the shape indicated in plain linesor that shown in dot and dash lines and which illuminates the vtwo surfaces of a double sign.

It can be seen that the arrangement and the shape of the latter can bevaried ad infinitum so that they appear to the observer for example either concaves or planes, or convexes, or plan'oconcaves, or plano-convexes.

This particular construction of the luminous parts has the advantage that the luminous efliect of the signs is considerablyincreased with the same expense for lighting as that for similar signs with simple tongues.

In the latter, in order to prevent the upper region of the tongue to be too dark one is, moreover, obliged to incline the latter too much at the inside of the casing and the result is that the hole cut in the sheet metal 1 is apparent or that the relief of the tongue has to be diminished; the distribution of the light is not uniform and the place of the luminous source can often be seen from the outside.

If these drawbacks are to be reduced the inclination of the tongue is no longer sufficient and the upper part thereof is darker than the rest.

In the arrangement according to the invention all these drawbacks are overcome by the fact that the first surface can be inclined only a very little without rendering visible the hole in the sheet metal or the source of light; the additional tongues, conveniently arranged, do not leave any part in darkness in the main tongue, but, on the contrary, reinforce the light due to the fact that they reflect also the luminous rays coming either from the source, or from the internal reflecting walls of the casing, or from the reflector or reflectors positioned therewithin.

Due to the fact that the colouring of the tongues can be varied ad infinitum it is possible with the luminous parts according to the invention to constitute veritable mosaics, the decorative and novel effect of which can be increased by variations of relief produced by the different curvatures of the tongues.

I claim 1. A luminous sign comprising a closed casing, a plate forming one of the faces of said casing and the background for said sign, a plurality of main tongue members out out of said plate and bent rearwardly thereof at an angle adapted to permit the reflection of light without rendering the hole in the plate visible, auxiliary tongue members out out of said first mentioned main tongue members and bent at a different angle therefrom to reinforce the light coming from the main tongues and to illuminate all parts thereof so as not to leave any part of the main tongues in darkness, and a source of light positioned behind said plate and within the casing so as not to be. visible from the front of the sign but to cause illumination not only of the main tongues but also of the auxiliary tongues whereby an increased luminous effect in the sign as a whole is produced.

2. A luminous sign comprising a closed casing, a plate forming a face of said casing and a background for said sign, a plurality of main tongues cutout of said plate and bent rearwardly thereof at an angle to permit the reflection of light without rendering the hole in the plate visible, auxiliary tongues cut out of the first mentioned main tongues in such a manner as to leave a major portion of the reflecting surface in the said main tongues and l a minor portion in the auxiliary tongues, said auxiliary tongues being bent at an angle to the main tongues to cause reinforcement of the light coming from the main tongues and to illuminate all parts thereof so as not to leave any part of the main tongues in darkness, and a source of light positioned within said casing and behind said plate to cause illumination of the main tongues andthe auxiliary tongues whereby a substantially uniform emission of light takes place from the sign as a whole'without the presence of spots of darkness.

3. A luminous sign comprising a closed casing, a plate located in one face of said casing and constituting'a background for said sign, a plurality of tongue members cut out of said plate and bent r'earwardly thereof at an angle adapted to permit the reflection of visible, auxiliary tongue members out out of each of the first mentioned main tongue members so as to divide the latter members into'a major substantially annular portion constituting the main reflecting surface and a minor central portion constituting an auxiliary reflecting surface which reinforces the light coming from the front of the sign from the main tongue members and to illuminate all parts thereof so as not to leave any part of the main tongue members in darkness, and a source of light located within the casing and a behind the said plate to cause illumination of the main and auxiliary tongue members whereby a substantially uniformly luminous sign is produced.

4. A luminous sign comprising a substantially closed casing, a plate incorporated in one of the faces of said casing and forming the background for said sign, a plurality of main tongue members out out of said plate and bent rearwardly thereof at an angle to permit the reflection of light without rendering the hole in the plate visible, a plurality of auxiliary tongue members out out of the first mentioned main tongue members at a plurality of places so disposed with respect to each other that the major portion of the light reflecting surface remains in the main tongue members and a minorreflecting surface in the auxiliary tongue members whereby the light emitted from the main tongue members is reinforced by the light reflected by the auxiliary tongue members and the illumination of all parts of the main tongue members and the sign is insured, and a source of light positioned within the casing and behind the said plate so as to be invisible directly from the exterior of the sign and to illuminate the main and auxiliary tongue members to cause the reflection and emission of light from the sign in a uniform and distinct manner.

5. A plate for a luminous sign comprising a sheet of material, a sign incorporated on the face of said sheet, a plurality of'main tongue members disposed in juxtaposition with respect to each other on said sign and cut out of said sheet material, said main tongue members bent rearwardly to the face of said sheet and at an angle to cause the reflection of light coming from a source situated in the rear of said sheet to the front of thereof, and at least one auxiliary tongue member cut out of each of said main members in such a manner as to divide the latter members into major portion constituting the main reflecting surface and a minor portion constituting the auxiliary reflecting surface, said auxiliary tongue members reinforcing the light coming from the main tongue members and illuminating all parts thereof. 

